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Those immortal words, penned by Theodor Seuss Geisel — better
known as Dr.
Seuss — are now part of the official congressional record,
courtesy of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Cruz read from the
children's classic "Green Eggs and Ham" (Random House, 1960)
during a marathon all-night speech, his ill-fated effort to cut
funding for the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare."

For critics who believe these desperate legislative shenanigans
are juvenile, research supports their claim:
Rhymes are very compelling for young children, and their
brains seem to process them even better than they process the
meanings of other words. [ 11
Facts About Baby Brains ]

"I will not eat them with a mouse. I will not eat them in a
house. I will not eat them here or there. I will not eat them
anywhere."

In a 2004 study, researchers read lists of words to young
children and then asked them to recall and recite the words
they'd heard. The words on the list were all related: A child
might hear "nap," "bed," "rest," "dream," "doze" and "snore," for
example. Adults taking the test often add the word "sleep" into
the list, though it appears nowhere on the original list — the
other sleep-related words tricked their brain into assuming the
word's presence, researchers surmised.

But young kids responded differently: Instead of adding new words
based on meaning, 5-year-olds added new words that rhymed with
the words on the list. A child who heard "nap," for example,
might throw in "map" or "cap." In their brains, the rhyme
overrode the meaning. As children grow older, they seem to grow
out of this tendency, the researchers reported.

"I could not, would not, on a boat. I will not, will not,
with a goat. I will not eat them in the rain. I will not eat them
on a train."

And because rhyming helps children
learn to read, Dr. Seuss is recognized as being ahead of the
rhyming curve. "He nicely sets it up for them," Miriam
Cherkes-Julkowski, an educational consultant, told LiveScience in
an earlier interview. "He introduces it to them in a fun way
before they ever have to make sense out of print."

It's worth noting that "Green Eggs and Ham" is a tale of
hidebound resistance to change, which — when eventually overcome
— results in a happy outcome for all.

"If you will let me be, I will try them. You will see. Say! I
like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!"